Month: October 2018

On Tuesday, Oct. 16, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held its “Kicking off the NIST Privacy Framework: Workshop #1” in Austin, Texas. I was honored to be asked to participate. This was the first in a series of public workshops focusing on the development of a useful and voluntary Privacy Framework, like

In his keynote speech at the Securing the Enterprise 2018 conference in Cambridge, MA, BT Security president Mark Hughes said that when it comes to the threats enterprises and government are facing, the global network is telling us that old strategies don’t work. In the face of ongoing cyber-attacks, mounting privacy concerns and daily data

The need to defend a growing threat surface highlights the widening cybersecurity skills gap If you are concerned about the privacy and security of your information you might have noticed recent headlines declaring that the global cybersecurity job skills gap has grown to three million. This very worrying assertion – that many organizations around the

Apple introduces a new privacy feature for all new MacBooks that “at some extent” will prevent hackers and malicious applications from eavesdropping on your conversations. Apple’s custom T2 security chip in the latest MacBooks includes a new hardware feature that physically disconnects the MacBook’s built-in microphone whenever the user closes the lid, the company revealed

LinkedIn has created and — with 562 million users — leads the market in social platforms for people who want to network with others in their professions, and look for jobs. Now a startup that hopes to take it on in a specific niche — university students and recent grads, with a focus on diversity

Apple’s ideal display size is everywhere and everything Lucas Matney 7 hours Everything is already big. The iPhone SE died. The iPad Mini was last upgraded in 2015. The 11-inch MacBook Air died years ago. The smaller Series 4 Apple Watch has a bigger display than the larger Series 3 Apple Watch. Apple’s smallest devices

Look out, someone has released the Kraken — or at least a ransomware strain named after it. Kraken Cryptor ransomware first made its appearance back in August, but in mid-September, the malicious beast emerged from the depths disguised as the legitimate spyware application SuperAntiSpyware. In fact, the attackers behind the ransomware were able to access

Many people think of two-factor authentication as a panacea for protecting users. While 2FA does drastically improve user protections, there are still risks. Attackers recognize that every security control implemented in an enterprise comes with its own risks that need to be managed. Therefore, they have learned to attack security controls in order to compromise

A new technique to escape malware detection has been used in a malicious campaign targeting smartphones, according to The Media Trust. In today’s blog post, Michael Bittner, digital security and operations manager at The Media Trust, revealed that the campaign involved third-party code that enabled smart malware delivery. The malware, dubbed JuiceChecker-3PC by The Media

by Lisa Vaas Tyler Rai Barriss – the 25-year-old man from southern California who SWATted an innocent man who was killed in a subsequent police shooting – will plead guilty to 46 new federal charges, according to local news outlets in Kansas, where victim Andrew Finch lived and where Barriss is in prison. A federal

What has the Internet brought us? And how does privacy stay anchored in the data deluge of the digital age? Here’s a brief reflection to celebrate today’s Internet Day So, we no longer need to wade through encyclopedias in our quest for knowledge. Have a ravenous appetite for entertainment? The fix is just a few

It’s only been a few hours since Apple releases iOS 12.1 and an iPhone enthusiast has managed to find a passcode bypass hack, once again, that could allow anyone to see all contacts’ private information on a locked iPhone. Jose Rodriguez, a Spanish security researcher, contacted The Hacker News and confirmed that he discovered an

Airobotics, the developer of automated drones that can fly without a pilot, has raised $30 million in a new round of financing. The new funding will be used to boost the company’s manufacturing efforts to meet new demand and help with the development of the company’s global headquarters in Arizona as it looks to capitalize on

iHeartMedia announced today that its streaming radio app iHeartRadio is coming to Mexico. In fact, a beta version of the app is already live, with plans for an official launch on November 3. As part of this launch, the company is partnering with Mexican broadcaster Grupo ACIR, which owns the Amor, Mix and La Comadre

One of the things we at McAfee have been looking at this midterm election season is the security of election infrastructure at the individual county and state levels. A lot of media and cybersecurity research focus has been placed on whether a major national attack could disrupt the entire U.S. voting infrastructure. Headlines and security

Introduction Windows 10 is the most used OS for desktops in the world, so it’s a big target for hackers. IT professionals should get to know all the Windows 10 security tools they have at their disposal so they can protect users’ desktops. Options include native Windows 10 security tools and utilities such as Microsoft

In what it is calling the “most significant tech acquisition of 2018,” IBM announced today that it will acquire Red Hat, a global provider of open source cloud software. The two companies have finalized an agreement subject to Red Hat shareholder and regulatory approvals, which is expected to close in late 2019. According to IBM,

You’re crossing a road on a dark night. There’s a self-driving car on course to run you down. What are the chances that after it (hopefully) detects you, it will make a split-second decision that, if it has to risk killing somebody, it’s you rather than somebody else? Sure, it sounds like a purely hypothetical twist

Ransomware remains a serious threat and this new white paper explains what enterprises need to know, and do, to reduce risk Throughout 2018 criminals have continued to target large organizations with ransomware. Today we introduce a new white paper that explains why ransomware is still a serious threat to your organization – regardless of size

It’s been quite a year for the open source platforms. Earlier this year, Microsoft acquired popular code repository hosting service GitHub for $7.5 billion, and now IBM has just announced the biggest open-source business deal ever. IBM today confirmed that it would be acquiring open source Linux firm Red Hat for $190 per share in

This is it, startup fans. We’re in the homestretch for big savings on tickets to Disrupt Berlin 2018. That means you have just five days left to save up to €500 on two action- and opportunity-packed days with some of the best and brightest minds in the tech startup world. The early-bird price becomes extinct

At a price typically reserved for semiconductor companies, telecoms, and pharmaceutical giants, IBM announced today it would pay a record $34 billion in cash and debt to acquire enterprise open source provider Red Hat. Eclipsing Microsoft’s $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, this is the biggest software acquisition in history. It’s not the biggest tech acquisition

The McAfee Mobile Research team recently found an active phishing campaign using text messages (SMS) that tricks users into downloading and installing a fake voice-message app which allows cybercriminals to use infected devices as network proxies without users’ knowledge. If the fake application is installed, a background service starts a Socks proxy that redirects all

Following reports that Chinese spies infiltrated the supply chain of servers assembled by Supermicro Computers Inc., the New York–based CYBERGYM has launched a new infrastructure-security combat training program. Driven by the belief that threats posed by these types of supply chain and infrastructure hacks are significant, CYBERGYM said it developed the training to help organizations

by Danny Bradbury Alex Stamos, the former security chief at Facebook, has called out Apple CEO, Tim Cook, for what he sees as the company’s hypocrisy over user privacy. In a series of tweets, Stamos warned the media against heaping too much praise on Cook, who has repeatedly called for privacy-friendly business models for the

A security researcher with Twitter alias SandboxEscaper—who two months ago publicly dropped a zero-day exploit for Microsoft Windows Task Scheduler—has yesterday released another proof-of-concept exploit for a new Windows zero-day vulnerability. SandboxEscaper posted a link to a Github page hosting a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for the vulnerability that appears to be a privilege escalation flaw

Chinese startups rule the roost when it comes to total reported venture dollars raised so far in 2018. That is, mostly. In one key category at least — software-as-a-service, better known as SaaS — they do not. Ant Financial raised the largest-ever VC round in June, a mind-boggling $14 billion in Series C funding. And nearly a dozen

There’s some turmoil brewing over at Miami-based facial recognition startup Kairos. Late last month, New World Angels President and Kairos board chairperson Steve O’Hara sent a letter to Kairos founder Brian Brackeen notifying him of his termination from the role of chief executive officer. The termination letter cited willful misconduct as the cause for Brackeen’s

It’s the middle of a workday. While researching a project, a random ad pops up on your computer screen alerting you of a virus. The scary-looking, flashing warning tells you to download an “anti-virus software” immediately. Impulsively, you do just that and download either the free or the $9.99 to get the critical download. But

As concern over medical device cybersecurity grows, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken additional steps to help hospitals get in front of the issue, an action commended by one medical device company CEO. The FDA recently announced efforts to strengthen the agency’s medical device cybersecurity program to help device manufacturers identify security vulnerabilities